Cuddihy appeal to be heard on Thursday

The controversy surrounding the Irish women’s 4x400m relay team may yet run through until next Monday – four days before the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony – after confirmation yesterday of the details surrounding Catriona Cuddihy’s appeal.

Cuddihy was originally named on the six-person relay selection for London but was then replaced by Joanna Mills earlier this month following a successful Athletics Association of Ireland appeal by the latter.

The Olympic Council of Ireland have now appointed an appeals tribunal to adjudicate on the matter following Cuddihy’s own appeal. The hearing will be held on Thursday, with a final decision to be delivered no later than Monday, July 23.

In the meantime, the names of both Cuddihy and Mills have been entered on the Olympic Games registration system in London and one entry will be withdrawn following the OCI’s appeals tribunal decision.

Catriona’s sister Joanne Cuddihy, as well as Michelle Carey, Claire Bergin, Marion Heffernan and Jessie Barr are all confirmed for the trip to the English capital.

Heffernan happened to be in Dublin yesterday morning along with husband and fellow Olympian Rob Heffernan to promote Electric Ireland’s latest ticket giveaway for the Games and neither believes the matter will spill over into the Games themselves.

“It’s just drama, like,” said Rob Heffernan who will compete in the 20k and 50k walk. “It’s just a storm in a teacup that was blown out of proportion after being badly managed. It’s just drama. Big deal. None of them will end up probably running anyway.”

Marion echoed the fact that the rest of the team must simply get on with their preparations regardless of what happens in the appeal, repeating the assertion that Barr will be first reserve in any eventuality.

That said, she had sympathy for Catriona Cuddihy who was only told of her demotion prior to the National Championships, days after appearing at the OCI’s official team announcement alongside her sister.

“When you think of it on a personal level, you wouldn’t want that to happen to anybody. The second it happened I put myself in her shoes and it’s really heartbreaking, to put in all the hard work for the whole year and then more or less to be told at the national championships that you’re being de-selected.

“It took great courage for her to come out and actually run, to support the national championships after her being more or less shafted by the sport, in a sense.”

Meanwhile, the OCI has announced that renowned sports therapist Gerard Hartmann has been included on Team Ireland’s medical and sports science team for the 2012 Games. It will be his sixth Olympic Games.

In 1992, at the Barcelona Games, Hartmann worked with the USA team and his individual clients won 12 medals while he was also the physical therapist to the Irish Olympic team in Atlanta in 1996.

He then served on the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic team in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.